Mark chapter 2, verse 23. Mark 2, 23. And it came to pass. Now, whenever
you see that in scripture, and it came to pass. Know that it's
not by fate, not by chance, not by luck. We don't believe in
luck, do we? Grace, providence, by the providence
of God, it was brought to pass. God ordered this event for this
day to teach us. Teach us the gospel. And it came
to pass that he went through the corn fields on the Sabbath
day. They were going down to the synagogue
to worship. They hadn't had any breakfast.
They were hungry. And so they said, well, there's
a cornfield. Let's go get us something to
eat, some breakfast. So it says in Luke that they
went and plucked some ears of corn and they rubbed them. Get
those kernels of corn out. And they started eating them.
Matthew says they ate the corn because they were hungry. They
were hungry. And they went to pluck the ears
of corn. Evidently, The Pharisees were
trailing close behind. You know, the self-righteous
are always looking for a way to accuse somebody of something. Never looking inwardly, but always,
thank God I'm not doing that. Thank God I'm not like so-and-so. The Pharisees said to him, Behold,
why do they, on a Sabbath day, why do they do that which is
not lawful? Now that's what they thought.
Evidently they thought the disciples were going into the field to
harvest the field. Now the law of God does forbid
reaping your crop and harvesting your crop on the Sabbath day. But they weren't out there with
the sickle reaping the crop. They were out there eating breakfast. You see how ridiculous they got
in their Self-righteousness. Have you noticed, through this
book, we've been studying how the self-righteous, these proud,
these arrogant Pharisees, always like a pack of wild dogs, ready
to viciously attack the Lord Jesus Christ. Have you noticed
that? I'll give you a couple of reminders. Back in chapter 2 verse 5, when
they brought that paralyzed man on a stretcher, and the Lord
said to him, Thy sins be forgiven. Verse 6, it said they were certain
of the scribes sitting there reasoning in their hearts. Why
does this man speak blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but only
God? Ready to pounce on him like a
pack of wild, vicious animals. Over here in chapter 16, Remember
when he called Matthew, the publican, converted him, saved him. Matthew
invited the Lord to his house and many publicans and sinners,
they came there for a meal. And the Pharisees said this,
verse 16, when they saw the Lord eating with those notorious sinners,
Scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners,
and they said, How is it that he eateth with, drinketh with
these notorious, wretched sinners? Always ready to pounce on him. Chapter 3, verse 22, look at
this. And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He
hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of devils he casteth out demons,
always ready to accuse him. And then in chapter 3 verse 6,
when he healed the man with the withered hand, the Pharisees
went forth straightway and took counsel with Herodians against
him, how they might put him to death, stone him to death. Why did they hate him so? Did
you ever think about that? He went about doing nothing but
good. feeding the multitude, healing
those who were so sick, helping the helpless. Why did they hate
Him so? Always ready to accuse Him instead
of acknowledging Him. Always ready to blame Him instead
of bowing to Him. Always ready to persecute Him
instead of proclaiming that He is the King. Why? I've got the
answer. Turn over here to John chapter
4. Look at this. John chapter 4. He was about
his father's business. John chapter 4. Remember he said,
I came to do my father's will. John chapter 4. Our Lord said
in verse 34, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me
and to finish his work. He was doing his father's business. Remember at a very early age,
he said, I must be about my father's business. That's why he came.
He was about his father's business. Now turn to John chapter 8. You
know what? These Pharisees were about their
father's business. About their father's business.
The Pharisees. Who was their father? John chapter
8. Our Lord says here in verse 41,
You do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be
not fornicators, we are not born of fornication. We have one father,
even God. And the Lord said unto them,
If God were your father, you would love me. Well, I proceeded
forth and came from God, neither came I of myself, but he sent
me. Why do you not understand my
speech? Even because you cannot hear my word. You are of your
father, the devil. That's why they hated him. And
the lust of your father will you do. He was a murderer from
the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is
no truth in him. When he speak to lie, he speaketh of his own.
For he is a liar, and the father of rubbish, And because I tell
you the truth, he won't believe me. I want you to turn clear
over here to Genesis 3. This is that very thing the Lord
said would come to pass in Genesis 3.15. You see, the Lord Jesus
was about His Father's business. They were about the devil's business,
accusing the Lord, accusing His disciples. Genesis 3.15. Let's read it, beginning at verse
14. And Lord God said to the serpent,
because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle,
above every beast of the field, upon thy belly shalt thou go,
and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. I'll put enmity
between, enmity, hatred between thee and the woman, between thy
seed and her seed, sons of Satan, sons of God. It shall bruise
thy head. The seed of the woman will crush
Satan's dominion. But thou shalt bruise his heel.
And he was bruised on Calvary's tree. That's why they hated him
for. So there was enmity. The carnal
mind is enmity against God. He exposed them for what they
were. Not sons of God. Sons of the
devil. And they viciously attacked him.
I want you to know something else here in my introduction. Something else. The Lord and
his disciples were poor. Poor. On their way to the synagogue
on the Sabbath day, they had nothing to eat. The Son of Man
had nowhere to lay his head. They went through a cornfield
to pluck some ears of corn to get some meat. They were poor
disciples. He who fed the multitudes performed
no miracle for his own need to relieve his own suffering. He was a real man. He is our
representative man. He is our substitute. I want
you to find Hebrews 4. Why so? Why did he suffer so? A man of sorrows, acquainted
with grief. To identify with us. To identify with our suffering. He knows our frame. He knows
that we are but dust. He knows that we are tried and
tempted and tested and awful, like as he. But he was without
sin. But he knows our every need. He knows our frailties, our weakness,
our suffering. He was a man. Notice if you will,
Hebrews chapter 4 verse 15, But we have not a high priest which
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmity, but was in
all points tempted like as we are yet without sin. Let us therefore
come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy,
find grace to help in time of need. Now Hebrews 2 verse 18,
For in that he himself suffered, being tempted, he is able to
succor them And that word there means help them that are tempted. He was a real man. He knows all
about us. He knows that we are but dust.
Turn over here to Psalm 103. Let's see if we can read that.
Psalm 103. He can sympathize with our infirmities. It says there in John chapter
4, that he must need go through Samaria, you find Psalm 103.
You remember what it said there about him? Being wearied in body,
he sat down on a well, Jacob's well, and he asked a woman for
a drink of water. He knows what it is to be hungry. He knows what it is to be thirsty. He knows what it is to suffer
like as we suffer. He can sympathize with our condition,
our frailties. Psalm 103 verse 10. He hath not dealt with
us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy
toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the
west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us, like
as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that
fear him. He knoweth our frame, he remembereth
that we are dust, as for man his days are as grass, as the
flower of the field. So he flourishes, and the wind
passeth over it, and it is gone, and the place thereof shall know
it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting
to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness
unto the children's children." You see, he knows our frame.
He knows our weakness. He knows what it is to be hungry,
to be wearied in body. Now back to the text. They went through the cornfield, on their way to worship service
because they were hungry, looking for a meal. Again, the Pharisees
falsely accused him of violating the law. According to the law,
the harvest of the crop was not to be done on that day, but it
allowed for works of necessity and works of mercy. You were
allowed to eat on the Sabbath day. What he did violate was
all their Silly nonsense. They're traditions. Turn over
here to Matthew 15. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ
magnified the law of God. He didn't violate the law. He
violated their silly rules and regulations. But He honored the
law of God. He magnified the law of God in
every precept of that law. Matthew 15. He said in the last
part of verse 6, You have made the commandment of God of none
effect by your traditions. You hypocrites, well did Isaiah
prophesy of you, saying, This people draw nigh unto me with
their mouth, they honor me with their lips, but their hearts
are far from me. For in vain they do worship me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, not the commandments
of God. Now back to the text. I want
you to notice how the Lord answers their charge. Now here's the
first point to the message. He answers them with the Word
of God. He answers them with the Word of God. Have you never
read, verse 25, what David did when he had need, when he was
hungry, and they there with him, how he went into the house of
God? And it was a tabernacle in that
day. The temple had not been built. In the days of Abihar
the priest, a high priest, And they ate the shewbread. This
is from 1 Samuel 21. Which is not lawful to eat, but
for the priest. He gave it also to them which
were with him. Now you can go over there and
read that, and when we studied through the book of Matthew,
we dealt with that scripture in detail, so I'm not going to
deal with it in that sense. But here's my point. He answers
their accusation with the Word of God. Just as Satan accused
him in the wilderness, The Lord Jesus answered him with the Word
of God. This is the best way for us to
answer any who would question us about our doctrine, our preaching. Why do you preach and why do
you believe that God elected a people? That God unconditionally
chose a people from all eternity and gave them to the Lord Jesus
Christ? Why do you preach those things? Why do you believe those
things? Because that's what the Word of God teaches. When any would question us, the
doctrine we preach, we should have a ready answer, thus saith
the Lord. The Apostle said, we are bound
to give thanks to God for you brethren, beloved of the Lord,
because God has from the beginning chosen you unto salvation. That's
why we preach election. Elections all through the word
of God. You cannot preach the gospel
without preaching election. You know why? He is the elect. First time the word's ever used
in scripture, Isaiah 42, 1. Behold my servant, my elect. He is the elect. We're chosen
in him. So when any would question our
doctrine about election, Well, that's what the Word of God teaches.
When anyone questions us, what we preach about the sovereignty
of God in salvation, why do you preach that God will have mercy
on whom He will? And whom He will, He'll harden.
Why do you preach those things? Why do we believe those things?
Well, you know, that's because what they preached hundreds of
years ago. No, that's not why. The reason we preach the sovereignty
of God and salvation is because this book plainly teaches that
God said, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. It's
His sovereign right to save whom He will. It's His sovereign right
to choose whom He will. He said, you didn't choose me,
I've chosen you! I ordained you! When anyone questions us about election
or sovereignty, or about the particular redeeming work of
the Lord Jesus Christ. For whom did He die? Why do you
preach and believe a definite atonement, a particular redemption,
that is the Lord Jesus Christ dying for His sheep and putting
away their sins eternally? Why do you preach and believe
those things? Because that's what the Word of God teaches.
And I believe God. I believe His Word. Therefore,
that's why we preach an effectual redemption. The Lord Jesus, He
put away their sin, His people, by the sacrifice of Himself,
all their sin. That's why He's called the Savior.
He is what He's called. He is the Savior. Tell me, why
do you preach salvation so strongly? Grace and grace alone. Why do
you harp on that all the time? It's because that's what God
teaches in His Word, is it not? You see, the Lord Jesus took
those Pharisees and He answered their accusation with the very,
Thus saith the Lord. And that's what we do. We take
His Word and we preach what we find in His Word. Truth. Christ is truth. And salvation,
my friend, is not By the will of flesh, not the will of man. Salvation is totally by the sovereign
grace of God alone. I had nothing, absolutely nothing
to do with the accomplishment of my salvation. Nothing. It
was all done by another. By my Savior, the Lord Jesus.
That's why we call it grace. It's God who saved us and called
us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
God's own purpose and grace. Doesn't end there. Which was
given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. And that's why we preach what
we preach. We preach His deity. He is God,
our Savior. So if anyone would ask us if
the doctrine we preach, why we preach and believe those things?
Because that's what the Word of God teaches. If anyone would
ask us about our hope of salvation, the reason of our hope, we have
a good hope through grace. Through grace and grace alone. Faith comes by hearing and hearing
by the Word of God. We have no warrant to base our
faith upon anything but the blessed unerring. inerrant Word of God
alone. All Scripture is given of God
and it is profitable, profitable for correction, for instruction.
We have a sure Word of Prophecy. The only way that we'll be able
to use the Word of God this way as our Lord did is by making
ourselves personally acquainted with His Word, diligently and
prayerfully comparing Scripture with Scripture. Be familiar with,
thus saith the Lord. And if someone would ask you
of the doctrine you believe or the reason of your hope, what
are you going to say? I just feel I'm saved? I had
a good feeling? Or I did certain things? I joined
the right church? I had the right baptism? Is that
our answer? Our answer is, thus saith the
Lord. The salvations of the Lord. I
want you to find 2 Timothy 2. You see, the Lord is setting
an example for us. Those who would accuse us. I've
had some accusations thrown at me. I'm sure you have too. But
how do we answer those? Well, I try to ignore them, but
when I'm forced to, I answer him what thus saith the Lord.
And here's the reason why. 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 14. Now these things put them in
remembrance, charging them before the Lord, that they strive not
about words to no profit, but subverting the hearers. Study
thyself, study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman
that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth, but shun provain and vain babblings. For they will increase
unto more and more ungodliness. Study to show thyself approved
unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed. What am I
encouraging you? Study the Word of God yourself. And when any would ask you of
the reason of the hope that is in you, Come back with an answer. This is why I believe what I
believe. And this is the reason of my
hope is because this is what the Word of God teaches. Plus
nothing, minus nothing. And that's exactly what the Lord
is teaching us here. Now here's the second thing.
Here's the second thing. He said unto them, verse 27,
the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Now he accused them, these Pharisees
rather accused him of breaking the Sabbath day. Literally this
verse reads, Sabbath on the account of man was made. Sabbath was
made for sinners. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ,
He is our rest. He is our righteousness. He is
our redemption. He is the Lord of the Sabbath,
as it says in verse 28. That is, He gives us rest and
salvation according to His design, according to His will. Now here's
three points on this Sabbath was made on the account of man.
Three things about this Sabbath rest. This rest, this Sabbath,
is a picture and type, in the Old Testament, is a picture and
type of our salvation and our rest in Christ. He is our Sabbath. Christ is
our Sabbath. He is our rest. The Sabbath rest
and salvation in Christ was made for a particular people. Now
I told you to hold your place there in Exodus 31. Did you do
that? What was typically true in the
Law is actually so in the Gospel. This rest and salvation in Christ
was made for particular people. It was made, that typical day,
was made for the Israel of God. As it says in verse 16, Wherefore
the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe
the Sabbath throughout their generation for a perpetual covenant. It was designed and given to
a particular people. And salvation, my friend, that
we have in Christ is designed and given to a particular people. That old Israel, physical nation,
is typical of God's spiritual people. They all came out of
one man. Abraham. And we all have blessings
in that one covenant head, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Secondly,
this Sabbath day of rest pictures salvation in Christ and by grace
alone. In Exodus chapter 31, notice
if you will, verse 14 and 15, you notice the strictness of
resting in the Sabbath doing no work at all. What is that
teaching us? That's teaching us that salvation
is totally in Christ with the exclusion, total exclusion of
any of our work. Don't bring your work. You bring
your work and you'll be put to death. Notice verse 14. You shall keep
the Sabbath therefore, it is holy unto you. Everyone that
defiles it shall be surely put to death. You defile salvation
in Christ Jesus when you try to stick your puny works to it. You'll merit the wages of sin
as death. For whosoever doeth any work
therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done, but
in the seventh is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whosoever
doeth any work in the Sabbath day he shall be put to death.
What's that teaching us? Teaching us that salvation is
in Christ and it's by grace alone. Bring no work, do no work at
all. Do no work. Now you know the
scripture, I won't have you turn to it, but in Titus chapter 3
it says, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according
to His mercy. He saved us. It is of the Lord's
mercy that we're not consumed. I will have you turn to this
one. Find Acts chapter 13. We've been studying through the
book of Galatians. And in the book of Galatians
we have studied and it says clearly, For by the works of the law shall
no flesh be justified in his sight. Don't bring your works. Salvation
is by grace alone. Acts chapter 13, notice this
if you will. Acts 13 verse 38. Be it known therefore unto you,
be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through
this man, through the God-man, talking about the Lord Jesus,
Acts 13 verse 38, if preached unto you the forgiveness of sin,
by him all that believe are justified from all things which you could
not be justified by the law of Moses. Don't bring your works
and try to stick it to Christ. It'll only damn you, not save
you. That's the message. Salvation
is by grace alone, in Christ alone. Here's the third point.
Christ Himself is our Sabbath. He is our salvation. He accomplished,
He performed all things for us. He said at Calvary's tree, It's
finished. It's done. All righteousness
fulfilled. All redemption done. All glorification
done. All sanctification done. All
justification done in Christ. He performed all things for us. Turn to John 17 and read this
with me. John 17. Look at John 17 verse 2. Thou
hast given him power. over all flesh, that he should
give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this
is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God,
Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on
the earth. I have finished the work that
you gave me to do." Mission accomplished! Don't bring your puny effort
of your hand and try to contribute to salvation. To do so is Suffer
the judgment of God. I finished the work you gave
me to do, and now, O Father, glorify Thou own self. Glorify Thou me with Thine own
self, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was. Turn to Matthew chapter 11, look
at this. The hymn writer said this, Upon
a life I did not live. Upon a death I did not die. Another's
life, another's death. I rest my hope eternally in Christ
Jesus. No wonder the Lord said in Matthew
11, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, I
will give you Sabbath. And that's what Sabbath means.
Rest. Rest. Rest from all your labors. Now, make sure you turn to this
one. Hebrews chapter 4. I'm saying
that Christ is our Sabbath. Christ is our salvation. We rest in Him. Not a day. A person. Christ Himself is our rest. Hebrews
4. Notice verse 9 carefully. Mark
this in your Bible. Therefore there remaineth therefore
a rest. Now notice the center reference
on that word. keeping of the Sabbath. I do honor the Sabbath
in Christ. He is my rest. There remaineth
therefore rest to the people of God, for he that is entered
into his rest, he also is saved from his own works, as God did
from his. Let us labor, and that word there
means to strive, therefore to enter into that rest. lest any
man fall after the same example of unbelief. Apart from the grace
of God, you'll never rest in Christ Jesus. You'll always be
going about to establish your own righteousness rather than
resting in Christ our Sabbath. He is Lord of the Sabbath. Come
unto me and rest. Make sure that you enter into
that rest. Not a day, not a time, not a
place, a person, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now back to the text,
look at this. Sabbath was made for man. Sabbath
on the account of man was made. Not man for the Sabbath. I looked
at this a long time. Not man on the account of the
Sabbath, how it actually reads. The whole of our salvation from
election to glorification is of the Lord. Our salvation in
no fashion, no way is dependent upon us. I contribute nothing. Totally dependent, totally determined,
totally accomplished by Him. Long before man fell, Christ
stood as a surety of the covenant. Did He not? He is a Lamb slain
before the foundation of the world. I contribute nothing,
nothing, nothing at all. Long before the law was given,
Sinners worshiped God and enjoyed salvation through the Lord Jesus
Christ. Is that right? Enoch walked with
God. Noah was a justified sinner. He found grace in the eyes of
the Lord long before the law was given. Abraham believed God. Let's count him for righteousness. 430 years before the law was
given. Here's the last point. Verse 28. Mark 2.28 Therefore the Son of
Man is Lord of the Sabbath. He is Lord of salvation. The
Lord Jesus that God may mediate toward. Notice it says the Son
of Man. The Son of Man. God has given Him all power and
all authority over all flesh. He is Lord of salvation. Again
our blessed Savior declares His Deity. He is Lord of all things.
Is He not? Peter declared, this same Jesus
whom you crucified, He is both Lord and Christ. Bow to Him.
Christ who gave the law fulfilled the law of God for us. He said,
I didn't come to destroy it. I came to honor it, fulfill it. Christ Jesus is the end of the
law for righteousness to everyone that believe it. My friend, are
you under the law? That mosaic law? That old covenant? If you are, do you know what
it says to you? Cursed. Cursed. No blessing. Cursing.
Cursed is everyone that continues not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them. But the good news of the
gospel is He's redeemed us from the curse of the law. Being made
a curse for us. The fullness of time God sent
forth His Son made of a woman made under the law to redeem
them that were under the law. That we might receive the adoption
of grace. In closing, in conclusion then,
are we as believers today, are we to observe a Sabbath day? No. In no way, shape, or form. A certain day of the week, as
did the Jews, are we to observe a day? Not at all. Absolutely
not. Here's some scripture reasons
why. Christ is the end of the law. But I want you to find Galatians
chapter 4. You need to turn and mark this.
Galatians chapter 4. Now there are some who think
that Christians today are to observe a Christian Sabbath,
being Sunday. Now we do set aside this day
for worship, but again, we don't pick up part of the law. Christ
honored the law. We've been set free. He's free
in Christ. He stands fast therefore in the
liberty wherever Christ has set us free. Now remember the problem
in Galatia. They were tempted to go back
to the law. Galatians chapter 4, look at
verse 9. But now, Galatians 4, 9. But
now, after that you have known God, or rather are known of God,
how turn ye again to those weak and beggarly elements? Whereunto
do ye desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and
times and years. I'm afraid of you. I'm fearful for your salvation.
I'm fearful that you're tossing a day instead of a person. I'm
afraid of you lest I bestowed upon you labor in vain. Here's
another scripture. Now make sure you see this. Turn
to Colossians chapter 2. You see Christ is our Sabbath
rest. Colossians chapter 2 verse 13,
Colossians 2 verse 13, And you, being dead in your sins, and
the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with
him, having forgiven you all trespasses. Blooding out the
handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary
to us. He took it out of the way and
he nailed it to his cross. Having defeated, spoiled principalities
and powers, he made a show of them openly, he triumphed over
all things himself. Here's the translation. Let no
man therefore judge you, now watch it, in meat, or in drink,
or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the
Sabbath days. You see, we are not observing
a Sabbath day. Which are a shadow of things
to come, but the substance is of Christ. The law having a shadow
of good things to come. That shadow can never put away
sin. That shadow can never represent
me and justify me. But the substance does. Not only are believers free from
the law and we're to stand fast in that liberty where Christ
has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Now clean your ears out with this. It is our responsibility as believers
to live as free, liberated believers. To do otherwise is to deny the
person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. is to impeach his wisdom
in Christ's crucifixion. I close by quoting this that
we've studied from Galatians 2. If righteousness come by the
law, Christ is dead in vain. Is Christ your Sabbath? Or are
you looking for a day to observe? Christ is our rest because Christ
is our salvation.